Headlight control



Nov. 4 1924. f 1,514,155

C. W; HALL ET AL HEADLIGHT CONTROL File@ March 2, 192x 2 Shoots-Shogi. l

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HEADLIGHT CONTROL FiledI March 2, 1921 2 shun-shut 2 ff-,44 @//5 if@ z5 57 gzwmf Cil Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. HALL AND HO-RATIO E. DE JARNETTE, O1? PRINCETON, WEST VIRGNIA.

HEADLIGHT CONTROL.

Application filed March 2, 1921. Serial No. 449,143.

To @ZZ whom t may concer/n Be it known that we, CHARLES W. HALL and Honnfrio E. Dn JARNETTE, citizens of the United States, residing' at Princeton, inl

the county of Mercer and State of lest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlight Controls, of which the following is a speci lication.

This invention relates to an improved headlight control for motor vehicles and has as one of its principal objects to provide a mechanism whereby the headlights of a vehicle may, without releasing the steering wheel, be readily dimmed.

The invention has as a further object to provide a mechanism employing` a button switch which may be mounted upon the steering wheel of the vehicle and wherein by simply operating said switch, the headlights of the vehicle may be dimmed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which will not interfere with the usual instrument board switch control of the headlights.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a mechanism which may be employed in conjunction with any ordinary motor vehicle lighting system;

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a motor vehicle of conventional design equipped with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view particularly showing the button switch employed,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, illustrating the button of the switch depressed, and

Figure f1 is a diagrammatic view showing the wiring system employed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, we have shown our improved control in connect-ion with a motor vehicle of convention design. The steering post of the vehicle is indicated at 10 and the steering wheel at 11, this steering wheel being provided with the usual spider 12. The instrument board of the vehicle is indicated at 13 and mounted upon the instrument board is the usual switch 14 for controlling the headlights of the vehicle. As is customary, the headlights are, as suggested in Figure l, provided with large light bulbs 15 and also with smaller light bulbs 16. In this ligure we have indicated the battery of the vehicle at 17.

In carrying the invention into effect, we employ a button switch 'for controlling the vehicle headlights from the steering wheel. This button switch includes a cylindrical body blocl; 18 of suit-able insulating material, said body being provided at its upper end with an aXial recess 19 and at its lower end with a somewhat smaller recess 20. tending longitudinally through {t-he body are upwardly converging conductors 21 provided at their upper ends with laterally directed terminals 22 overhanging the recess 19. Upon the lower ends Iof said conductors are threaded binding nuts 23. The body further carries a second pair of upwardly converging conductors 24 which, at their upper end portions, project into the recess 19 and upon the lower ends ofsaid conductors are threaded binding nuts 25. Slidably fitting over the upper .end of the body is a button or cap 26 provided axially with adepending boss or post 27 adapted to be freely received within the recess 19 between the terminals 22 of the conductors 21 and embedded in the cap is a nut 28. Lilie the body 18, the cap is also preferably formed of suitable insulating material. Freely slidable through the body is an axially disposed coupling pin 29 threaded into the nut 28 for connecting the cap with the body, the head of said pin normally lying within the recess 20, and surrounding the pin within the recess 19 is a contact disc 30. Bearing between this disc and the bottom wall of said recess is a spring 31 surrounding the pin, this spring normally holding the disc in engagement with the terminals 22 for closing a circuit therethrough and, as will be observed, the boss 27 of the cap rests against the disc so that'the spring will also act to yieldably sustain the cap. Supporting the body 18 is a base 32, thisbase `being provided with an upstanding annular flange 33 snugly receiving the body therein and engaged through said flange are screws or other suitable fastening devices 35 connecting the base with the body. The base is formed to iit over a spoke of the spider 12 of the steering wheel 11 of the vehicle and is provided at opposite sides thereof with lateral ears 36. Coact-ing with the base is a clamping plate 37 engaging beneath said spoke and tting through said ears and through the plate are clamping bolts 38 securing the switch in position. As will be perceived, the switch may thus be readily mounted upon any ordinary steering wheel.

In Figure 4f of the drawings, we have shown the manner in which. our yimproved switch is interposed in the lighting system of the vehicle. This system includes a wire 39 leading' from the battery 17 to the switch 14 andv connecting saidV wire with another terminal of the switch is a wire 10. Conr neeting the bulbs 15 of the headlights in series is a wire 411 and conncctingthe bulbs 1.6 in series is a wire 4t2 leading to the switch 111-. To interpose the sivitchoif theA present invention in the system, the wire L11l is connected to one of the conductors 21 ol the switch while a wire 4 3 is arranged to extend from the other of said conductorsto the switch 1/1. @ne of theconductors 2% is connected with the wire et() by a wire lll While the other of the conductors 9A is connected with the wire 12-by a wir-c45. Thus, as will be perceived, when the circuit to the light bulbs 15 is closed through the switch 14C, current will flow through the button switch of the present invention to saidbulbs, thisvcirciiit ybeing normally closedthrough the button switch by the contact disc 30. However, when the cap 2d of the button svi'itch is depressed and the disc is, as shown in lligure` 3 of the drawings, i'novedto engage theA conductorsQ, thev circuit through the bulbs 15 will be broken while the circuit through.

the circuit through the bulbs 1Q will be' brclzen VWhile the circuit through the bulbs accidents and the present invention will,4

therefore, eliminate such cause. Should it be desired to permanently break the circuit through the bulbs 15and energizethe bulbs 15 as, for instance, when the vehicle lett standing, it will be seen that the switch 1l may be operatedI to accomplish the objectdesired.

Having thus described-thc invention, `what is claimed as new is:

An electric switch including a body-block provided with a recess, a pair of conductors extendingvthrough the block and providedy with terminals overhanging the recess, a secondpair ofconductors extending through the block into the recess, a button having a boss movable into the recess, a pin extending throughthe recess slidably connecting the button with the block, a contact disc carried by said pin to coact with the boss, and a spring within the recess acting against said disc for sustaining the buttonan'd normally holding the disc in engagement with said4 terminals closing a circuitithrough the first air of conductors, the button being movable for shitting the disc toyengage the second pair of conductors for closing a circuit therethrough.

In testimony` whereof we aliiX our signatures.

CHARLES W. HALL. [L s A] nomino E. DE Maneras. ['L. Sq' 

